I'm surprised no one from VS has shed any light on this. I know this speaker isn't the Crown Jewel in the VS lineup, but why is interest in it being ignored? It's as if the VR-35 was the Redheaded Stepchild of the family.

We have been traveling and have not been able to respond quickly. Sorry about that!Basically, the Mk2 revision of the VR-35 Export Deluxe is a souped up version of the original. We have upgraded the capacitors and internal wiring, which further increases clarity and richness; the difference of the new caps and MasterBuilt Signature wire is quite amazing. To further reduce internal self-noise, the interior walls have been beefed up in two locations, with our Triple Wall noise reduction sandwich installed in the rest of the speaker casing. Also, a full break-in is provided, as we like to do the final tests on units that have fully compliant suspensions and capacitors that are formed.

In addition, the manufacturer of the drivers (the same company that builds the new Wilson drivers), has instituted a new grading program, so the Mk2 versions all use matched drivers. In the past, we matched them ourselves, but the new drivers are built to better tolerances. The 10" woofer, twin 5" mids and 1" tweeter all sound clearer and smoother, a result of the improved manufacturing process which includes a new type of glue, altered motor system, and less resonant cones. This upgrade is perhaps the most important part of the Mk2.

Sonically, the Mk2 sounds a bit clearer, with a better stereophonic image. The bass is tighter and the new tweeter is richer and more detailed than the original. Each sonic area has been improved, making the Mk2 an overall better sounding speaker. If you have a room that requires placement close to the walls, nothing that we have heard will beat this model for sheer realism. The image is wall-to-wall in width and the dynamic range and bass power is quite special.

Please call Leif at our factory (951) 682-0706 to get more information on this or any other model we build. I might add that we are still having our annual sale on the Vortex line. The MSRP of the VR-35 Export Deluxe Mk2 is $9,995/pr but our price is only $6,500. If you have read the review of the original VR-35 ED model in SoundStage, you know how the critical press loves this speaker system. The reviewer owns the Wilson Sophias and noted that the VR-35 ED had better overall sound. Here is the review:

Copy then paste this link into your browser, it's quite a good piece of writing and is fun to read. Although we do not advertise the Vortex VR-22, 33 and 35 ED, we still build them and have been constantly improving upon their design. They offer a tremendous value as your hard earned dollars go towards the engineering, build quality and great drivers. There is no markup for an expensive wood finish or dealer margin, your money goes straight into the product and sound quality. One of the best aspects of our Vortex business model is that instead of an hour of listening at a store, you get to keep them for 90 days so you can really experiment with placement, cables, and amplifiers. We have sold more than 4,000 pairs of these models and to my recollection, have only been asked for a refund by two customers. In both cases, the significant "other" was not told of the purchase until the speakers arrived, and one of the pairs was returned, unopened. Such is life!

Please call the factory on Monday to get pricing on an upgrade to VR-35 ED Mk2. Today we're hosting a European Distributor who is here for an ULTRA 11 demo so we're not able to give you enough time to answer all of your questions. Ask for Leif since he is our cost estimator.Alternately you can email him at <leif@vonschweikert.com>. Thank you for your interest!